Autin's Selection As 6th Man Of The Year Headlines Huntingdon Men's Basketball's All-Conference Selections

ATLANTA, Ga.- The Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) has announced its 2025-26 Men's Basketball All-Conference honorees, as selected by the league's head coaches. Maryville's Chase Morgan headlines the awards as Player of the Year, while Covenant's Pierce Smith earned Defensive Player of the Year distinction. Belhaven's Braylon Dame was recognized as Rookie of the Year, Huntingdon's Jeremy Autin claimed Sixth Man of the Year honors, and for the third consecutive season, Raul Placeres was voted CCS Coach of the Year after leading Maryville to another regular-season title.

Huntingdon's all-conference selections were headlined by the recognition of Jeremy Autin as the 6th man of the year. Junior guard Tyler Mallory brought home first team honors, while Marcus Townsend, Myles Murphy, and Owen LaRocca were all deemed second team all-conference performers. Senior A.J. Taylor was selected to the all-sportsmanship team.

Jeremy Autin delivered a significant impact off the bench for Huntingdon, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors after emerging as one of the conference's best players off the bench. Despite averaging just 17.4 minutes per game, the senior forward ranked fifth in the CCS in rebounds per contest (7.1) on the year. His week featuring a 20-rebound performance against Belhaven and a 13-rebound outing against Asbury highlighted his ability to control the glass. His 20-rebound effort tied for the single-game high in the CCS this season. Autin averaged 6.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game overall and recorded a double-double against Methodist, helping the Hawks to secure a No. 2 spot in the tournament. Through the stretch of conference play, Jeremy emerged as the best rebounder in the league, averaging more than 8 a night off the pine as the senior provided key contributions down the stretch. 

The catalyst for Huntingdon on both ends of the court this season, Tyler Mallory's average of 22.8 points per game in conference play leads the league, with his 3.6 assists a night placing him third. Mallory remained efficient all season in his scoring efforts, cashing in on 40% of his shots from the field(13th in the CCS), 34% of his shots from deep(9th in the CCS), 72% of his free throws(9th in the CCS), all in 28 minutes of action a night. His impact was felt on the defensive end of the court as well however, as he secured 2.3 steals a night, tying him for first in the league. Tyler's posted several scoring outbursts on the season, including 42 against Millsaps(the CCS single-game high this year), 28 against the University of the Ozarks, 35 against Maryville, 32 against LaGrange, 31 at Belhaven, 28 at LaGrange, and 25 at Asbury. Through the conference play, he is the only player to sit atop the conference in more than one category(points per game and steals).  Additionally, Mallory is 2nd in made threes and has had 9 games scoring 20 or more points.

The overall rebounding leader in the CCS, Marcus Townsend has pieced together an impressive senior year, averaging 11.7 points per game(good enough for 15th in the league),  and 8.1 rebounds a game. All season, he has scored at an efficient rate, finishing 4th in the conference at a little over 50% from the field on average, and 13th from the free throw line at 67%.  Townsend is one of two players to secure 20 rebounds in a single contest in the conference this year(the other being his teammate Jeremy Autin), and the senior forward has recorded 5 double doubles this season, including a 29 and 20 performance against the Baptist U of Florida and a 37 and 11 showing at Covenant. 

Down the stretch of the regular season through conference play,  Myles Murphy was critical in Huntingdon's success, averaging 11.8 points(15th in the CCS) and  5.5 rebounds(12th in the CCS) while playing 28 minutes a night (8th in the CCS). Tacking on a little over a steal per game and 2.1 assists as well, Murphy's impact was felt all over the court. He scored in double digits in 5 of the Hawks last 6 conference games, including 22 against Belhaven, 24 against LaGrange, and 16 at Maryville. 

The sharpshooter from Sugarland Texas, Owen LaRocca cashed in on 42% of his three point tries for the season while hitting a little over 3 per game for the Hawks, providing key driving lanes by spacing the floor for Huntingdon all season. With 11.8 points per game, LaRocca finished as the 14th leading scorer in the CCS, boasting single game scoring outings of 26,23, 20, and 19 along the way. His 7 made threes against the Baptist U of Florida ranks him among the conference leaders in that regard. He is third in overall 3 point percentage and 1st in threes made per game in the conference. Maintaining his hot shooting at the charity stripe, LaRocca has hit on 17 of his 19 tries at the line. 

Hailing from Union Springs, Alabama, A.J.'s leadership for the Hawks in his senior season played a pivotal role in the 2 seeds success. Since entering the program in 2023, Taylor's sportsmanlike attitude and dedication have been evident. See below for the full list of all-CCS honorees and superlative awards.